While many of us rely on phones to remain productive during the day, too often are we now picking up the phone to a spammer’s snake-oil sale: “Hello, we are reaching out to inform you that there has been an issue with your account” or similar nonsense. While this is enough of an irritant in our daily lives, it isn’t as though a business can wait for a call to go to voicemail to find out if it was legitimate or not.

Chances are, you’re all too familiar with exactly the kind of scam I’m describing. The one that makes the Do Not Call List sound like wishful thinking, that makes it look like someone from your area - or even your contacts list - is trying to reach you.

Chances are, you’ve answered one of these calls, only to hear silence, broken after you say “Hello?” As soon as you do, a (likely prerecorded) voice launches into its tirade, being a nuisance and bothering people.

Chances are, you may have even received angry phone calls from people you’ve never met, let alone called, claiming that your number has been the source of repeated calls just like these.

You aren’t alone.

Unfortunately, the scammers responsible are talented at skirting rules and regulations. Calls like these have been harassing users for quite some time, simply because the scammers understand how to cheat and find loopholes. This is all despite the efforts of regulatory bodies like the FCC (the Federal Communications Commission).

In November of 2017, the FCC enabled telephone providers to block calls that were presumably fraudulent. This was based on many factors, like the calls coming from invalid numbers or numbers with no service provider attached.

However, the rules outlined in the 2017 Call Blocking Order weren’t enough to stop scam robocalls for long.

Now, we all have had to deal with the huge nuisance of neighbor spoofing. Neighbor spoofing has almost certainly affected you directly, and if you’ve been lucky enough to avoid it, it’s happened to someone you know.

But you may be asking, what is neighbor spoofing? If your phone rang, and you have caller ID enabled, you’ve probably developed the habit of checking the number before you answer it - after all, a local number is probably safe to pick up.

Neighbor spoofing has made it so that assumption is no longer the case.

Instead of using a fake number to call their targets, scammers using neighbor spoofing will actually use someone’s real number to call someone relatively nearby - sometimes literally next door. If you’ve ever received an angry phone call from someone demanding an explanation for someone with your number repeatedly calling them and harassing them, your number just so happened to be the one that these cybercriminals spoofed.

There have even been reports of people receiving calls from their own number, claiming to be from the phone company as an attempt to “verify a hacked account.”

Neighbor spoofing is also a very effective method for scammers because it can bamboozle the automated protections already in place to stop scam calls, just like it fools the targeted phone’s user. This also keeps the Do Not Call list from affecting these scammers’ attempts (as if it ever stopped them before).

Additionally, many apps may add some unwanted complications, even if they are effective. There are mobile applications available that are intended to stop robocalls from ringing your smartphone in the first place. One such application, the aptly-named RoboKiller, does this in two ways. First, RoboKiller references a list of numbers identified as spam, and blocks these calls completely. Second, it uses a patented analysis of the call’s audio fingerprint to compare it to those of other spam calls. Regardless of the number it appears to come from, RoboKiller can identify if it is a match to a known attempt.

You’ll only know that you were targeted after you read the notification that RoboKiller provides.

Meanwhile, RoboKiller responds to the scammer with a time-wasting prerecorded message. You can then review the calls that RoboKiller blocked by opening the app on your phone. There, you can listen to a recording of blocked calls to determine which calls were spam, and which were legitimate attempts to reach you. From there, you can whitelist a number by pressing the Allow button.

Users of RoboKiller can also add numbers to their list of permitted callers to allow them to come through. RoboKiller is a subscription-based application that charges $2.99 each month ($24.99 for an annual subscription), which may be seen as a relatively low cost if you’ve received enough of these calls.

As RoboKiller states on their website, “With RoboKiller, you don’t stop neighbor spoofing. You take action in the fight against the robocall epidemic.”

However, this approach isn’t without some worries.

For one, consider the cost of admission for this app. Yes, $2.99 may seem like a bargain if you have a smartphone, but what about all the people who still don’t? Furthermore, many mobile users today are of older generations, and may not understand how to work the application (or again, may not have a device that is compatible with the app). Yet, these worries may not be necessary for long.

Both the government and the telecom industry have had enough. It wasn’t long after the 2017 Call Blocking Order was released that the attorneys general from a full 40 states came together to form the Robocall Technologies Working Group. This is a bipartisan commission intent on collaborating with service providers to learn about robocalling technology with the ultimate goal of stopping it.

On October 8th, the attorneys general of 35 of those states signed a letter to the FCC stating that the efforts of law enforcement had not and would not be sufficient to stop abusive scam attempts and robocalls. In this letter, the attorneys state some chilling facts:

30.5 billion illegal robocalls were made in 2017 alone, up from the estimated 2016 total of 29.3 billion.

Estimates have placed the total calls made by the end of 2018 to be somewhere near 40 billion.

August of this year saw 1.8 billion scam attempts in the 4 billion illegal robocalls made that month.

Facts like these only highlight the pervasiveness of these scams, and how important it truly is to eliminate them as much as possible. In fact, the Federal Communications Commission has gone on the record to demand that mobile providers figure out a standardized system to help prevent these calls from reaching mobile users, echoing the demands made by the attorneys general.

This system would rely on call authentication to ensure that only legitimate calls would make it though, and that spoofed calls would be caught by requiring all calls be verified as coming from the correct source.

Not only did Commissioner Ajit Pai release a statement to the press demanding that this system be created, he sent a letter to 14 telecom CEOs, including AT&T’s John Donovan, Charter’s Tom Rutledge, Verizon’s Hans Vesterburg, T-Mobile’s John Legere, Comcast’s Brian Roberts, and Google’s Sundar Pichai.

Pai demanded that these changes be ready to deploy in one year, giving telecoms a ticking clock to establish what they call the SHAKEN/STIR framework (Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs/Secure Telephone Identity Revisited). This move was met with the approval of the attorneys general, who went on to encourage the FCC “to implement additional reforms, as necessary, to respond to technological advances that make illegal robocalls and illegal spoofing such a difficult problem to solve.”

As the attorneys general said: “Only by working together, and utilizing every tool at our disposal, can we hope to eradicate this noxious intrusion on consumers’ lives.” Fortunately, this will also benefit the businesses that have been affected.

With any luck, we’ll only have to deal with the robocalling nuisance a little while longer. For assistance in keeping other scams from interrupting your business and putting it at risk, reach out to k_Street Consulting, LLC. We have the experience to stop the other threats you would otherwise deal with on a daily basis. Call (202) 640-2737 today.

]]>helpdesk [AT] kstreetllc [DOT] com (K Street Consulting LLC)SecurityMon, 19 Nov 2018 13:30:08 +0000You May Be Surprised What You Are Missing Without a Help Deskhttps://www.kstreetllc.com/blog/you-may-be-surprised-what-you-are-missing-without-a-help-desk
https://www.kstreetllc.com/blog/you-may-be-surprised-what-you-are-missing-without-a-help-desk

Businesses these days rely on technology in order to function properly, but what happens when this technology doesn’t operate as intended? If your organization doesn’t have a dedicated help desk on-premise, you’re probably suffering from unnecessary downtime and technology troubles with no recourse.

Of course, not all businesses have the luxury of hiring in-house technicians to function as a help desk. In cases like these, outsourced solutions are viable alternatives, if they aren’t outright better overall. Here are some of the best reasons why your organization should implement an outsourced help desk solution.

Help Desk Support Minimizes Downtime You may have heard the excuse, “I would have done the work, but I didn’t know how,” or “My computer wasn’t working properly.” If you don’t have anyone available to help your staff with their issues, chances are they are being ignored and piling up, resulting in a situation where your staff simply can’t do their jobs--not because they don’t want to, but because they literally can’t. If you have someone your staff can reach out to for assistance with the technical side of their job, they’ll be more likely to get assistance and improve their productivity. Most importantly, you’re keeping downtime to a minimum, as it is a huge blow to your bottom line if left unchecked.

Help Desk Support Provides a Single Point of Contact Even more confusing for some employees is who to actually contact in the event they need help with their technology. Sometimes the organization will have several numbers compiled in a location for all to see, but this isn’t helpful, as the employee might wind up having to reach out to several vendors just to resolve a basic issue. By using a help desk solution, there is only a single phone extension or email address to inform, making this kind of assistance much more accessible.

Help Desk Support Can Augment In-House Assistance Let’s say that your internal IT department is responsible for helping your employees out with their technology troubles. This is fine and all, but chances are that they don’t have enough time to implement new solutions, keep your hardware and software updated, monitor your network for inconsistencies, and manage all of your organization’s devices, let alone take a call from Susan down the hall because she can’t access her email. You can help your business’ IT department out by taking this one responsibility off their shoulders and handing it to an outsourced, remote help desk.

If your business finds itself falling short in terms of help desk support, look no further. k_Street Consulting, LLC can help your business get the support it needs to maintain operational efficiency. To learn more, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

While running a business can be quite rewarding on a professional level, it can be extremely challenging, with countless obstacles to overcome--particularly in regard to technology and its management. Thankfully, there are ways your business can minimize the pain of managing technology. Here are just a few of them.

Be Prepared to Lose Power Electricity is perhaps the most important part of using technology in the workplace, as without it, the devices that empower your business’ operations just won’t function. In some cases, you might suddenly lose power, leading to data loss and other disaster scenarios that could strike your business down if you’re not prepared for them. With progress grinding to a halt, downtime will ensue, creating a considerable loss for your business.

Even if you’re not losing power, an excessive amount of it can create a surge, damaging the infrastructure itself and harming the individual components that make it up. It’s ultimately in your best interest to take measures against these events, as you made an investment that needs a substantial return. Surge protectors can be helpful to prevent excessive power from crippling these important machines, but in some cases, you’ll want a more powerful solution. An uninterruptible power supply, or UPS device, can help your servers, workstations, and other important technology shut down properly in the event of a power outage or surge, giving you the ability to minimize damage done.

Maintain a Steady Internet Connection The Internet is an invaluable tool that can help your business succeed, and the Internet plays a larger role in its functionality than it ever has before. A lack of Internet ultimately becomes downtime for many organizations, as they depend on the Internet for various services and communications. More often than not, there’s nothing you can do about a lack of Internet if it comes from your service provider. To keep this kind of downtime from sinking operations, many businesses have implemented backup Internet connections, just in case they ever have to use it. This comes with a downside--you’ll have to maintain that connection--but it will likely be worth the investment if you ever need it.

Place Boundaries on Your Staff Even the best employees are known to make mistakes from time-to-time. While you can trust them for the most part, nobody is perfect, nor should you expect them to be. Some might even try to implement their own solutions with the intention of making their jobs easier and more efficient. This is called shadow IT, and it can be dangerous. You have no way of knowing whether it’s putting your business at risk. You can implement measures to ensure that your employees aren’t downloading unauthorized applications through the use of administrator and user privileges. If you limit what your users can do with their machines, then you have less to worry about.

k_Street Consulting, LLC can help your business ensure managing IT doesn’t become a hassle. To learn more, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

With Google Chrome as its major competition, Bing needs all the help it can get just to claim a market share of the web browsing industry. Despite this, Microsoft’s search engine has encountered problems in the past with some of its top searches, including some that have caused data breaches.

What’s the Problem? What’s the first thing that anyone who prefers Google Chrome does when they open Microsoft Edge? Simple--they download Google Chrome. Since Chrome isn’t available by default on Windows 10 devices, users have to download it, which means that they are reliant on Bing’s search results to find Google Chrome. The problem with this is that some malware sites have disguised themselves as sponsored ads for Google Chrome in Bing’s search results.

These sponsored ads would appear when a user searches for Google Chrome in the Bing search engine. Basically, instead of a legitimate sponsored ad leading to the Google Chrome download page, the malicious ad would instead bring the user to a phishing site disguised to look like the Google Chrome download page. This page would have a URL of ‘googleonline2018.com.’ If you try to access this page through Google Chrome, it’s actually blocked, but Bing and Edge don’t do this, making it a huge security issue.

These Issues Aren’t the First Making the situation even worse is that this isn’t the first time Bing has encountered issues like this. Even as far back as April of this year, this same threat was reportedly identical to the recent version. The ad has been pulled as of this writing, but it’s strange that no explanation has been issued regarding this threat by Google, or even a confirmation that the issue has been resolved. All of these factors combine to create a situation where it’s not that unbelievable a situation like this could happen again.

Other Bing Problems There are other problems related to Bing that have caused issues in the past, including a history of providing offensive or alarming content through its image search. For example, if you were to search for objectively neutral terms, there is a chance that, even with SafeSearch on, the image search will deliver racist search suggestions or other similarly-offensive content. Bing has also been known to push conspiracy theories through its suggested searches. Searching for the wrong thing could potentially expose users to material that they didn’t want to view in the first place, or content that could land viewers in hot water with the law.

To remain updated on similar situations to those explained above, as well as the latest security breaches and threats, subscribe to k_Street Consulting, LLC’s blog.

Data is an asset, there’s no getting around this fact. Therefore, your business needs to consider it important enough to protect with a data backup and disaster recovery solution, as even something unlikely, like a natural disaster or hacking attack, could place your organization in peril. We’re going to take a look at some of the different kinds of data backup and disaster recovery you can expect to see, as well as four terms that you should understand.

The Types of Backup Here are four of the most common types of backup that you can expect to see in an office environment:

Full backup: This type of backup makes a copy of all selected files in their entirety. Most backup solutions will have to initially go through this process, and since this is such an intensive process, it will take longer than other data backup types. If this is your preferred method of backup, it will likely have to be done after-hours, as it takes a long time and could tie up processes that are needed during the workday.

Differential backup: This type of backup only backs up changes made to the data. This allows for faster backups, but the process of recovery is much slower.

Incremental backup: This type of backup is much like a differential backup, with the main difference being that an incremental backup will always back up the data regardless of if a full backup was completed or not.

Mirror backup: A mirror backup makes a real-time duplicate of the source and backs it up. This creates complete redundancy, but it also comes with various issues. For example, if the material is deleted by mistake, the mirror will also be deleted. This reason alone dissuades IT technicians from using mirror backups as a viable solution for their backup needs.

Now that the types of data backup have been explained, we’ll go over some of the backup-related terms you might want to know.

Business continuity: A business continuity plan is designed to help your business get back in proper functioning order if you’re ever hit by an unfortunate situation. All organizations need to have a business continuity plan in place.

Disaster recovery: Disaster recovery is specifically there in the event your business suffers from a disaster involving data loss. This includes cyberattacks, sabotage, user error, and even weather-based disasters that destroy infrastructure.

Recovery Point Objective (RPO): RPO is a benchmark that represents which data will be recovered by your business if it wants to get back to normal business operations following a disaster.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO): RTO is a benchmark that represents the time needed for your business’ data to be restored. Minimizing this number is critical to keep downtime as low as possible.

k_Street Consulting, LLC can help your business by equipping it with a comprehensive data backup and disaster recovery system. To learn more, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

The note-taking application Evernote is a favorite of many users, as it allows them to keep extensive notes in an organized fashion. Its true utility goes beyond that of a digital scratch pad, however, as it has additional features that offer much more. For this week’s tip, we’ll review one particularly useful feature: templates.

What Are Templates? Evernote’s templates are handy, pre-built structures for notes that provide users with a simpler means of organizing specific types of information. Instead of taking time struggling with your formatting each time you start a new note, you can apply one of the templates that Evernote offers on their website. Those with a subscription to Evernote Plus, Premium, or Business can even use formatting they’ve created in past notes to generate their own templates for repeated use.

Applying Templates in Evernote Once you’ve acquired a few templates, either from the Evernote website’s collection or from a past note, applying one of your choosing is relatively simple.

In Evernote, start a new note.

In the body of the note, click Templates to view the ones you have saved.

From there, you can search for any templates you have, delete ones you no longer want or need, edit their names, and of course, apply them to notes.

If you want to edit a template, follow the same process, and once you’ve made the changes that you want, save it as a new template. Note: only those with Plus, Premium, or Business accounts are able to do this.

Plus, Premium, and Business users are also able to create their own templates this way.

So, what do you think? Is this a welcome change to Evernote? What other improvements would you like to see them make down the line? Let us know in the comments!

Computers are made up of many complex pieces of technology, and any business that uses them must have at least a working knowledge of them (or know someone who does, like a managed IT provider). Among these pieces of technology are “chips,” or microchips, that are responsible for making sure the technology, whatever it may be, works as intended. We’ll discuss some of the different kinds of chips the everyday user or business owner may be involved with when thinking about their computer.

Generally speaking, microchips in computers are made out of a variety of materials, but the most common is silicon. These microchips are responsible for acting as semiconductors and give your devices the ability to perform various tasks. We’ll get into the details about a couple of them here.

Memory One of the more notable uses of microchips in devices includes temporarily storing data. These kinds of chips have a familiar name that you’ve probably heard before--Random Access Memory, or RAM. As long as the chip is receiving power, it can store data on the device. Once the device is turned off and the chips are no longer receiving power, this temporary data is wiped. Depending on what the device is used for, the computer might have many RAM chips installed on it; otherwise, the device will be slowed down considerably by resource-intensive tasks.

Microprocessors Microprocessors have a lot to do with your device’s CPU, or central processing unit. You’ll often hear the comparison of a CPU to the brain of the human body. The CPU is responsible for processing all of the programmable commands on the device. Microprocessors generally rely on logic to function as intended. Of course, depending on the kind of device, various strength microprocessors will need to be used, as the same kind of microprocessor won’t work for every single kind of device out there.

Other Kinds of Chips Depending on the device used, you might find various device-specific chips in use. For example, some devices that have cameras might have chips specifically designed for use with video recording or picture taking. Others that have networking abilities might have chips designed for use with those. Basically, chips are responsible for both the everyday functionality of your devices, as well as some of the specific, more advanced features that not everyone will be using.

For more information about technology or devices, stay subscribed to our blog.

There are plenty of small irritations to be found in the office, from a pot of coffee that someone neglected to refill to the sound of a squeaky chair under the office fidgetier. However, none are quite as infuriating (or as detrimental to productivity) as an inconsistent Wi-Fi signal. What makes the Wi-Fi so spotty, and how do you resolve that?

What Do You Expect from Your Wi-Fi? Many businesses have a tendency to either deal with their Wi-Fi as-is or will haphazardly add new networking components to their infrastructure as needed. Neither of these approaches is ideal, especially in light of the fact that you’ll need your Internet connections to be reliable as you grow your network.

A much better alternative is to design your Wi-Fi network keeping a few additional factors in mind, including your office’s particular setup and any future growth plans you may have. This way, you will not only create a network that works for your current needs but is also flexible enough to shift and adapt as your business does. Whether you’re first designing your office’s floor plan or taking another look at its setup, the key is to go about it from a strategy-first perspective.

The Process Your first order of business is to determine where the demand for a signal will be the greatest. After all, if you have a group of employees reliant on their wireless connectivity huddled together in one area of the office, you aren’t going to want to place your equipment in a way that creates a dead zone there. This will help you to identify obstacles and inform you of where you may want to consider placing additional routers to make up for their effects.

Once your Wi-Fi has been set up and your employees are settled, you should still be collecting performance data and listening to the input that employees have about their connections. Remember, wireless is still an evolving technology, so as it develops it is likely that you will need to adjust your strategy to accommodate it.

Long story short, you’ll probably need to make this an ongoing process to ensure that your Internet is as usable as possible for everyone in the office.

The professionals at k_Street Consulting, LLC are also here to assist you with any of your technology needs. If you need help with your business’ IT solutions, give us a call at (202) 640-2737.

Technology is an easy thing to take for granted, especially in an office that has countless solutions that are utilized on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small retail establishment, a large organization with multiple offices, or a factory to produce consumer items. Today, we’ll look at the various ways your business is changed for the better thanks to the use of technology.

Customer Service Your customers are one of your most valuable assets, so it’s natural that you want to build a powerful bond with them. If you can’t support the products you sell to them, you’ll have a difficult time keeping your business in good standing with both current and prospective clients. Technology can help you maintain this positive relationship through the use of a ticketing system to handle customer complaints and concerns, and it also makes it easy to handle support for various services you might offer.

Social media and social networking in general provides businesses with more direct ways of interacting with consumers. Sites like Facebook and Twitter essentially offer a platform to promote a brand and knowledge base. Of course, this advantage can quickly become a detriment if it’s not managed properly, as you’re (again) dealing directly with customers--if they aren’t satisfied by your interaction, they’re more likely to share it and complicate public relations.

Productivity To be successful as a business, you have to accrue money somehow. This is where productivity comes in--technology helps by enabling workers to get more done throughout the workday, building more value for your organization in the long run. For example, time-tracking software can help with task scheduling, giving employees the opportunity to accomplish more during the time they spend in the office. Moreover, you’ll be able to assign a monetary value to the time your employees spend on various tasks and streamline their work processes.

Many of today’s most helpful technology solutions come with built-in productivity solutions that allow for collaboration through the cloud. These cloud-hosted applications provide flexibility to workers so they can communicate in the way most efficient for them. Since these solutions are flexible and scalable, your business can adjust them as needed.

Finance Money is a big part of why you’re in business, but you can’t do anything without funding of your own. You have a bottom line to keep in mind, after all. Technology can help businesses better manage their finances through online invoicing services to collect payments and reduce paper expenses. If you use software to manage payroll and other accounts, you’ll be able to handle them easily and more efficiently. If you can streamline these processes at all, your business can run much better and you’ll be better off in the long run.

Security Security plays a critical role in the sustainability of your business, both on your network and in your physical office. You can’t let workers or other entities waltz around your network and your office uninhibited, as the opportunity to cause major damage is practically omnipresent in today’s business world. You need to implement not only network security solutions such as antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and spam blocking technology, but physical security solutions like security cameras, biometric security locks, and other measures as well. Doing so ensures the protection of all your business’ assets, whether it’s from a hacker or a careless employee.

A lot goes into making a business successful, and technology plays a large role in doing so. How does your business use technology? k_Street Consulting, LLC can help you get started thinking about the future for your organization. To learn more, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

As the technology that businesses have available to them develops, so does the propensity for this technology to be used unethically. This has become especially apparent where data collection is concerned, and what that data is used for after it has been collected. How can you keep operations moving both productively, and ethically?

Collection Concerns Data collection is one of the current big concerns in technology. With another newsworthy data breach practically every other day, companies that accumulate data for seemingly little reason effectively put their clients and customers at a greater risk of having this data stolen. Reflecting upon this, it is no wonder that 75 percent of consumers are concerned about brands keeping track of their browsing habits.

Facebook has been the focus of some negative attention in past months thanks to these concerns. In addition to the Cambridge Analytica situation, Facebook has adopted artificial intelligence technologies to analyze their users. This analysis is used to predict future behaviors, these insights being sold to advertisers. While this brings up many legitimate concerns about data privacy, it also introduces a different topic: the need for a code of ethics surrounding the use of collected data, as well as how much data is collected.

Why This Is a Real Issue It should come as no surprise that businesses and individuals have different priorities, and that these different priorities shape their ethics in different ways. Likewise, the primary purpose of any business is to generate revenue through profit. Therefore, it only makes sense that a business as a unit would have the motivation to collect as much data as they can - after all, the more data available, the more insights that could be presumably be gleaned, and the more successful the business would be… in theory.

However, as mentioned above, many businesses seem to collect as much data as they can just so they can have it. This is not a great approach for them to take for a few reasons. Most obviously, because it just enables more data to be compromised if a breach was to occur.

Without the guidance of a code of ethics leading your business decisions, the likelihood of risking your clients’ data for the sake of advancement - be it more insight, improved automation and artificial intelligence, or another business goal - becomes much higher.

Enforcing Ethics In order to create a workplace that is in alignment with your determined ethics, you need to make sure of two things. One, that you clearly establish and share them within your business so that your employees are on the same page as you are, and two, that you stand by these ethics.

To accomplish this, learning your company’s ethics should be a part of an employee’s onboarding process, with a written document leaving no questions as to what will and won’t be tolerated. Then, you need to make sure that you not only listen when ethical violations are reported, but also allow those reporting them to remain anonymous.

What would be the most important aspect of your policy for employees to follow? Share it in the comments!

Chrome 70 has proven to be quite a divisive browser. While a lot of users are excited for the new changes to security, some are also worried about whether Chrome can maintain this security and its user-friendly interface. Here are some of the changes being made to Chrome 70 so you can choose whether this browser update is for you.

Extension Restrictions One of Chrome’s largest advantages over its competition has to be its library of add-on extensions. Unfortunately, any kind of functionality with these additional “programs” can lead to security concerns. Google has had to slow down the production of extensions to create new requirements for developers to adhere to. One example is how cryptocurrency continues to be a major talking point, prompting extensions to include cryptocurrency mining and cryptojacking in their features. Google is shutting down these supplemental programs, as well as generally holding developers to higher standards than they previously were. It now demands that developer accounts be protected by two-factor authentication, as well as paying closer attention to apps that require lots of permissions or host their code remotely.

Security Measures Chrome 70 is also packing in all kinds of new security features to keep phishing attacks away from end users. In particular, Chrome is trying to push education of its native password management tools, as well as warn users when the links they are about to access aren’t secure. In essence, this simply states that websites need to be secured if they want visitors, reinforcing the fact that websites need to prioritize security these days.

Login Concerns While some changes have been accepted with open arms, others… not so much. While Chrome has allowed users to use the browser without logging into the browser, some have noticed that Chrome appears to log a user in, even if they are only using one service out of the many provided. This is primarily an issue because Google could potentially share the user’s data (think browsing history), which is not something that users traditionally take lightly. In the time since then, Google has announced that Chrome isn’t necessarily logging users into Chrome--it’s more of an in-between measure to show a user which of their accounts is currently logged in.

As with any new solution, there will be roadblocks and concerns that users might be faced with during the experimentation phase. What kind of experiences have you had with Chrome 70 so far? Let us know in the comments.

There are various types of user accounts that your employees and administrators can use to access their workstations, but one of the biggest points of contention to consider when planning out data access is the use of administrator accounts. Specifically, you want to avoid handing out administrator account access to users like it’s Halloween candy.

What’s the Big Deal? You would think that assigning administrator accounts would prevent users from making poor choices with your data. The main difference between the two is that administrator accounts have many more privileges compared to the traditional account used by the average user. In fact, a traditional account is much safer to use unless you actually need administrator access to perform a certain task. Ordinarily, a normal user account can’t install software or mess around with important files in the system, but this isn’t necessarily the case for an administrator account.

Admin accounts are essentially the most powerful account on your computer. They have the permissions to perform just about any role on your PC. It’s the same role that your IT department uses to make any significant changes to your devices during updates and general maintenance. Every computer needs to have at least one admin account found on it, but if access from untrained users is allowed, they could make changes to important files needed for the computer to run properly.

Why You Should Limit Admin Account Use While it might make sense to have admin permissions if you’re the only one who uses your computer, this is simply not the case on a managed network. There are security problems associated with using an admin account as your primary device account. What happens if your account gets compromised by some sort of malware? It’s simple; the malware will install on your admin account and be able to make any changes it wants to any of the important files only accessible by your admin account. While more permissions as the device owner might sound ideal, it only makes it easier for threats to leave a lasting effect on a device.

Standard accounts have more limited permissions, meaning that if they are compromised in any fashion, they will be more limited in the amount of damage they can cause. It’s for this reason that it’s best to limit administrator accounts as often as possible, as there is no guarantee you will never fall victim to such attacks.

To minimize the chance of your business’ endpoints falling prey to attacks, you should implement proactive measures against the countless possibilities out there--including a compromised admin account. To learn more about how your business can protect itself, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

Business technology can often augment communications and make collaboration easier, but administrators sometimes believe that these added perks come with a considerably higher price tag. When a solution comes around that can save money, like VoIP, business owners should consider it with serious intent to invest, as it can usher in an age of improved operations and efficiency for your employees, as well as a higher bottom line overall.

VoIP Improves Inter-Department Communication Landline telephones in the office have been dated for quite some time. Even if they were once necessary to get in touch with coworkers and other departments, they are now quite antiquated compared to modern solutions. After all, there’s no guarantee that an employee will be available to take your call, as the workplace is filled with countless tasks that often require their full attention. Sure, you could leave a voicemail, but there’s no guarantee that the employee will see the message until it’s too late to respond. Since Voice over Internet Protocol doesn’t rely on your employees having a traditional handset, and instead has them using more mobile devices, they’re more likely to be available when you need them most.

VoIP Is More Flexible Some organizations have employees who aren’t always able to work in the office for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they are simply on the move for conferences so often that they are just never in the office, or perhaps you have employees who work remotely from time to time (or even permanently). VoIP lets you stay in touch with these employees in the same way you can with your in-house team. Since VoIP can be used on mobile devices, laptops, and even desktops, it doesn’t matter where your employees work, as long as they have the VoIP application and a headset. In this way, VoIP is much more flexible than any traditional landline.

VoIP Allows for Additional Features Landline phone services tend to have features built into them, but many of them are decided by the cable company that provides your telephone service. These features are often not what your business wants or even needs. VoIP services give your business all the features needed from traditional landline telephone services, including conference calling and voicemail, but with lots of additional features that add a quality to your business’ ability to communicate. You can take advantage of video conferencing and instant messaging built right into your VoIP solution. By going through a VoIP provider in this way, you save money by only paying for services you will use rather than those your cable provider assumes you want.

To get started with a VoIP solution today, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

It is impossible to understate the importance of a server to today’s businesses. We talk a big game as to how important data is, but we don’t often broach the topic of how important it is to ensure that your server is well-maintained. Below, we discuss how to determine what your servers need for optimal performance, and how you can be sure that they get it.

What Can Cause Problems in Your Server Room? Of all the potential issues that your servers can face, the smallest ones can create some of the biggest problems - literally. For instance, there’s always the worry of dust.

Dust, and other similarly-sized contaminants, can easily make their way into your server’s components, where they build up and become an insulator. As a result, your equipment can become up to 30ºF warmer - and just like in human beings, a rise in internal temperature to this degree can be lethal.

Other contaminants include things that human beings generate, like skin particles and dander, or even the result of wear on the devices themselves, like belt debris from the climate control systems and metal shavings from the hardware. The worst culprit, however, is actually the soles of your feet. Approximately 80 percent of the most damaging debris can be introduced to your server room this way.

Mitigating Issues through Maintenance and Prevention Consider what would happen if your server was to suddenly fail. All of the data you had worked to preserve and protect, investing in the infrastructure to house it and the solutions to mitigate external threats to it, would be gone. Therefore, it is important to remember that protecting your servers against inadvertent internal threats is just as critical as protecting them against external attacks. This is accomplished in two overarching ways: first, strict standards of cleanliness, and secondly, avoiding the introduction of contaminants.

Keeping it Clean The less dust and grime there is in your server room, the easier it will be to keep the room nice and cool for your infrastructure. While the big cleaning jobs should be left to experienced professionals who have a history with cleaning computing equipment, there are some jobs that you should be able to handle.

After all, some cleaning may have to be done on a daily basis, especially if your server room is a high-traffic area. Careful vacuuming will help get rid of that notorious sole-grime that comes in, as well as a considerable amount of other dust. To clean your server components themselves, use an antistatic cloth to gently remove the grime, using compressed air to get into hard-to-reach places.

Avoiding Contamination If possible, you might also want to make some changes to help reduce the amount of dust and grime that enters your server room in the first place. Installing air filters inside can help, as can (assuming you are able) creating a buffer room between your office and the server room itself, where special mats can be installed to help minimize contamination. Hats and booties can also help reduce the amount of human-borne contaminants entering the area.

Finally, do your best to stay out of the server room if at all possible. Avoid bringing potential contaminants into it, like cardboard, and clean off any tools and equipment before they are brought into the server room.

For more best practices to maintain your business’ crucial technology, reach out to k_Street Consulting, LLC at (202) 640-2737!

We make a big deal about how important it is to take care of your computers. Whether that be routinely cleaning your PC, weeding through the unnecessary information stored on them, or utilizing a mobile device’s built-in security features to keep mobile malware from making the management of your company--wide mobile solution more difficult. Much of the time, however, your organization’s IT works as designed, creating no issues whatsoever. In those moments you begin to pay more attention to your accessories.

For this week’s tech term, we talk a little bit about accessories. In the past, accessories were mandatory to simply use any computer, but with the advent and prevalent use of smartphones and tablets, that isn’t always the case today. They do, however still make up a huge portion of the cost to businesses and individuals when purchasing a computer. Let's take a look at the computer accessory market.

When looking to define what a computer accessory is, you’d have no trouble finding multiple definitions. On one hand, many computer accessories attach themselves to a computer, while others are there to provide additional functionality, security, or support. We’ll break them into two different groups: basic and advanced.

Basic Computer Accessories

Basic computer accessories are accessories that are typically less expensive, and don’t usually come with their own power supplies, although wireless technology has somewhat changed this. There are all types of simple accessories that include:

Cables and Wires

Keyboards and Mice

Speakers and Microphones

Webcams

Headsets

Flash Drives

Adapters

Bags and Cases

Advanced Computer Accessories

Advanced computer accessories typically have a higher price tag and come with their own power supply. Also called peripherals, these products typically perform advanced tasks or have more stand-alone value than basic computer accessories. Some include:

Printers

Scanners

Charging Stations

Digital Signage

External Storage

Power Protection

Essentially, every product you can buy beside the computer and the monitors is considered an accessory. Even peripherals that come with their own power supply are technically accessories for a computer (since you can’t use them without a CPU).

k_Street Consulting, LLC’s knowledgeable IT technicians are committed to providing useful technology support services to organizations like yours. To find out how we can help your organization best use its technology call us today at (202) 640-2737.

There are a variety of web browsers out there, and that variety is much larger than most people think. While most can list off the main ones: Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, there are many more to consider. However, the real question remains: which one is best for you?

In a Nutshell: Probably Chrome… The most used browser today is Chrome, with about 60 percent of the market share going to it. This isn’t an accident, as Chrome has historically prioritized the two things that Internet users want most - options and speed.

Chrome has always been fast, and despite some other browsers reaching comparable speeds, they just can’t match Chrome’s consistency in that arena. It also doesn’t hurt that Chrome has a remarkably simple interface that hides a massive amount of functionality, only supplemented by a huge extensions list.

However, Mozilla’s Firefox option has also exploded in popularity with its release of Quantum, which allows it to give Chrome a run for its money where speed is concerned. With additional security features and other useful elements, Mozilla is another tempting option.

Microsoft’s Edge browser is another option for many, especially if they prioritize the ability to easily share web pages through either email or assorted social networks, or to take notes on web pages and save them. Furthermore, as it was developed by Microsoft, the same company that develops Windows itself, Edge and Windows integrate quite well with each other.

…But It Depends Of course, if your browsing tends to have a specific purpose or need, there are other browsers that may lend themselves better to your given objective. For instance, Opera has a feature called Opera Turbo, which can help make slow broadband speeds less of an issue.

Another option is Vivaldi, which would be ideal for those who want a customizable browsing experience. This browser lets a user create their own keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures, as well as provides far more options that effectively allow the user to customize their own browser. Those who are particularly concerned about their online privacy might prefer the inherent features found in the Brave Browser or in the Tor Browser, and those who frequently download things from torrents might prefer Torch Browser.

At the end of the day, your choice will depend on your preferences. k_Street Consulting, LLC can help you weigh your options and make the best choice for you and your business. Give us a call at (202) 640-2737 today.

Election Day for the United States is November 6th, and regardless of your feelings regarding U.S. politics, the fact of the matter is that millions of Americans will soon go to the polls and cast their ballots. Unfortunately, what many of them don’t realize is how insecure their voting machines actually are, and how they are potentially putting their vote at risk.

What Most Polling Places Have The majority of American polling places are operating with equipment that is fast approaching 15 years old. For reference, here’s a brief list of products and technologies that haven’t even been around for ten years yet:

Google Chrome

Airbnb

Spotify

Kickstarter

4G

Mobile GPS

Instagram

The iPad

One cofounder of nonprofit group Open Source Election Technology, Greg Miller, puts it this way: "You have equipment that was introduced in 2005. In that time frame, how many times have you changed your mobile phone? And how many times have we replaced our laptops?” In short, the American voting system is reliant on, as Miller described it,”... obsolete hardware [and] software that relies on a diet of spare parts.”

The other cofounder of the nonprofit OSET, John Sebes, has demonstrated just how vulnerable these systems could potentially be to manipulation.

Most polling places collect all of the voting data onto a piece of portable media, like a CD or a USB drive, and bring it to a separate location to be tallied. Unfortunately, the machines used here are also usually outdated, as is the software used to process the results of the vote.

In a live demonstration on a national news network, Sebes used one of these machines to tally votes for two fictional candidates, Thorfer and Varda. In the example, Thorfer had won in a landslide with over 3,000 votes, the opposing Varda only receiving 100. However, with a very simple malware, Sebes was able to just switch the tallies, making “Varda” a fraudulent winner - and while access to these tallying computers is secured, some may not be secured as well as others are.

Furthermore, many polling places maintain a paper backup of the vote, just in case there needs to be a recount, but there are also many who have no paper backup at all. This includes some states known as “battleground” or “swing” states, where a much smaller number of votes can potentially have a significant impact on the final outcome.

How to Minimize the Issue Unfortunately, the easiest solution to this problem is also impossible. One would think that there would be a singular set of standards for all polling places to abide by - but since the American Constitution specifies that each state is in control of its own electoral procedures, this consistency is effectively made impossible.

However, there are other ways that have been suggested to protect voting technology… some of which are decidedly lower-tech.

Temporarily Eliminate Online Voting Some states have made online voting available, primarily to service members or other citizens who may be abroad, and many allow email ballots to be submitted. However, until security is improved for these methods, it has been suggested that they are suspended.

Utilize Physical Backups Yes, we know. We generally say that all of your backups should be saved to the cloud, but in this case, that would be counterproductive. After all, a physically-generated paper backup that records each vote isn’t hackable (unlike a digital system) and could easily be used to cross-check any contested results.

Invest in Improved Voting Equipment As one might imagine upon hearing that most American voting machines are over a decade old, updating the infrastructure that enables the prime responsibility of democracy is clearly not a priority for those dispersing the funds. It has been suggested that Congress get involved, funding research into improving these machines and replacing the problematic older machines, as was last done in 2002.

Americans view the right to vote as a basic human right, so it seems especially bad that their infrastructure can get in the way of their doing so. Don’t let your business technology do the same to your employees and their work. Reach out to k_Street Consulting, LLC for a better solution by calling (202) 640-2737.

The Windows 10 operating system is the most common operating system for business use, which is what makes it surprising that so few know how to adjust its appearance to suit their preferences. For this week’s tip, we’ll go over a few ways to adjust what you’re seeing and/or looking at for maximum productivity.

Quicker Settings Your settings are your greatest tool to control your Windows 10 preferences. If you need to change a setting on the fly, you can pull up the menu by pressing CTRL + I or Windows Key + I.

Zoom In/Out Whether it’s a graphic you want a closer look at or text that’s just a smidge too small (or the opposite cases) the ability to zoom in or out on the entire screen can quickly become a handy trick to know. You have options here: you can either press CTRL + (+) or CTRL + (-) to zoom in or out, or press CTRL + Scroll Wheel to accomplish the same. Pressing CTRL + 0 will reset the screen to normal.

Changing Active Applications If you’ve really got a good groove flowing as you work, pausing to switch windows with your mouse can really trip you up. With some practice, you can use a keyboard shortcut instead, eliminating this inconvenience. Holding Alt as you press Tab will bring up smaller versions of your active windows, and using the directional keys (while still holding Alt) will allow you to select a different one to work in.

Switching Monitors Workplaces are seeing more and more multi-monitor setups in use. A shortcut makes it easy to move application windows around and across screens. To move a window to the other monitor, press Windows Key + Shift + Left/Right. Whether you choose left or right depends on which way you want your window to move.

You can use a simpler version of this shortcut to dock an application or browser window to the side of its current monitor, too. All you press for this one is Windows Key + Left/Right.

Shortcuts like these can turn you into a Windows power user in no time at all, with a little practice. Do you have a shortcut that you use frequently enough to make it second nature? Share it with us in the comments!

Chances are you’ve encountered a couple of tech support scams in your days. These people frequently dial random numbers in an attempt to get the person on the end of the phone long enough to trust them with remoting into the device. These kinds of scams are designed to be as vague as possible, and since most people have computers that are at least a couple years old, they tend to experience some kind of sluggishness that makes them believe that something is genuinely wrong. This can turn out to be a grave mistake.

Other scammers are starting to use more sophisticated measures, and it’s all thanks to their possession of more specific information about the users. This could include the computer’s name, model number, and serial number, as well as any other contact information about the device’s owner, including their telephone number, email address, and customer number.

These scams are growing in number and continue to target those who have purchased devices from large, reputable companies who produce some of the most popular solutions on the market. Companies like Lenovo, Microsoft, Apple, Dell, and many more have all had to deal with support scammers making a mockery of their business practices. It only makes sense that these scams will continue to grow in number as time goes on.

What Can You Do? It doesn’t matter how proactive your IT support is. It’s unlikely that any manufacturer would ever call you for any reason regarding an issue with your computer. The only way (though unlikely) this would happen is if you’ve subscribed for a similar service of your own free will. Even then, there is a very involved authorization process attached to this support. Imagine if every single manufacturer called every single buyer of their devices--it’s just not feasible under normal circumstances.

If you receive a call like this, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If you share a network with other users, this is even more important; as, if you give an unauthorized entity access to a specific device, it could have far-reaching repercussions for the whole network. Even though IT support scams are prevalent throughout the industry, you still want to make sure that you’re not falling for them.

k_Street Consulting, LLC can help your business stay ahead of the game in terms of security and best practices. To learn more, reach out to us at (202) 640-2737.

Data recovery is a major consideration that every organization that depends on data has to plan for as a part of their business continuity strategy. Since there are so many ways that businesses can lose data, there needs to be a plan to recover data for any possible reason. Today, we will take a different look at operational data loss and talk about how your organization should consider strategizing data recovery.

Data Value in Business The first thing that you need to know is that losing data is a very big deal. In fact, there is an entire field of study created to deal with this very issue. Called infonomics, this can put a dollar value on an organization’s data. While some organizations continuously deny that data has a tangible value, it is becoming more evident than ever that those organizations (typically insurance and accounting) have a vested interest in data’s value remaining intangible. Every other business can be sure that their data has monetary value.

With the acknowledgement that the analysis of organizational data can help businesses run a more efficient and profitable business, any standard enacted to properly evaluate this asset would be made to promote a strategy of organization-wide data security. If you need to justify spending capital on a data protection and redundancy strategy, you should be able to ascertain what the actual value your data has to your organization. A few ways you can value data include:

How much capital would it cost to replace lost data?

How much revenue is dependent on that data?

How much money could you make by selling or renting the data you have?

How much capital will you have to spend to protect this data?

However, you look at your organization’s data, it is an asset, and as those assets are compromised on your network, or removed from your network, you need to have a solution in place to get that data back.

Data Backup The first step in any data recovery strategy is data backup. At k_Street Consulting, LLC, we believe that the best data backup strategy is to promote redundancy. In order to do so we promote a strategy that backs up data locally AND offsite. This presents options to make data recovery more efficient.

Our BDR service initially backs up your entire network. Since backing up an entire network will take a long time, and any downtime is extraordinarily costly, setting up a backup solution that protects the data you need without taking down the network at all, is important. Our BDR keeps data redundant on multiple hard drives and provides an organization with the much-desired data security it is looking for from a comprehensive solution.

Disaster Recovery The first thing that has to be said is that the best data recovery strategy is one that never has to be used. However, data loss disasters can (and do) happen, leaving your business to pick up the pieces. The best way to do this is to have a dedicated disaster recovery platform in place that takes two crucial factors into account:

Recovery Point Objective (RPO) - The interval of time that might pass during a disruption before the amount of data lost exceeds the maximum threshold that your business can weather.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO) - The duration of time within which data or business process must be restored after a disruption before it can be considered a complete break in continuity.

By thoroughly managing your disaster recovery program, your organization is sure to be able to get its data back--and its business’ processes up and running--to ensure that your business is able to sustain operational integrity. For more information about how to get a data backup and disaster recovery working for your business, call k_Street Consulting, LLC today at (202) 640-2737.